


the challenge: battle of the captains

by ookaikeishin (mariachillin)



Series: bragging rights [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Third Year Crows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3491783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariachillin/pseuds/ookaikeishin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ennoshita-san is grows sneaky in his old age. And he learns how to plant. Ideas.</p><p>Also, Kageyama enjoys being called senpai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the challenge: battle of the captains

He still couldn’t believe this. Spring has come and gone along with the third years--now in their second year of college (well, Sawamura-senpai and Sugawara-san. Asahi had decided to go right into working at a local store nearby) and the second years, now graduates just this past March. And now it’s May and he’s staring at his jersey, black and orange save for the large white number two on the front and the back. He never expected this. Hadn’t ever even thought about it, really. He’d been vice-captain at Kitagawa Daiichi but even there, it was simply because of his talent. No one wanted to listen to him there. No one had considered him a _leader_. But here he sat, going into the summer before his third year as vice captain. He glares up at the form smirking at him from a few feet away, hardly listening to Yachi tell him how fantastic she _still_ thinks it is that the decision had been made that _he_ was now captain.

 

 _He_ being Tsukishima.

 

“What’s the matter, King? Is what little power you have already going to your head?”

 

Kageyama doesn’t bother holding back a snarl (he never does). Tsukki could talk as big as he’d like but he wants Kageyama as a vice captain as much as the rest of the team. Apparently the blond doesn’t like the idea of trying to get Hinata to pipe down and listen to him. And the first years fearKageyama more anyway.

 

He could remember it clearly, Ennoshita-san gathering them around in the winter and speaking in that soft, but authoritative voice he’d adopted soon after Sawamura-senpai’s departure (he learned very quickly that there needed to be a little more bass in his voice if he was to quiet down Tanaka-senpai and Nishinoya-san _along with_ the plethora of first years they’d taken on after making it to Nationals in Kageyama’s first year). Ennoshita had also grown to be quite the master manipulator as he’d spoken to them that night:

 

_“It’s none of my concern, really. **None** of ours, really,” he said matter of factly as he motioned himself and the other third years. “Who you second years will choose to be your captain. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t talked about it. And, while it doesn’t matter what we say since we’ll be gone, we were thinking--"_

 

_“Tsukishima should be your captain!” Nishinoya cut in. Tanaka, for once, didn’t seem to agree._

 

_“I personally think it should be Hinata. My junior’s come a long way from the little shrimp he used to be.” To which Hinata jumped at least a meter into the air shouting, “TANAKA-SENPAIIII!!!”_

 

_Kageyama rolled his eyes._

 

_“ **Anyway** , as I was saying,” Ennoshita cut in to continue. “It’s not our choice, it’s really up to you four. But if it was, we’d make Kageyama vice-captain. Just to keep things healthily balanced.”_

 

_At this, there was silence. Kageyama had kept his eyes trained to the floor, but he suspected that, due to a lack of commentary, no one agreed. Until Hinata clapped him loudly, and a little painfully if he was willing to admit (which he wasn’t, still isn’t), on the back and yelped in excitement._

 

_“Vice-captain?!” He shouted. “So cool!” Admittedly, it had brought a twitch to the corner of Kageyama’s lips. Even Yamaguchi nodded, Kageyama saw lifted his eyes to the rest of them._

 

_“I agree, that’d be a great idea!”_

 

_Turned out Tanaka and Nishinoya’s silence had come from the watching and waiting for Kageyama’s response. Over time, they’d come to recognize when he was at least the slightest bit happy and when they witnessed for themselves, they whooped just as loud as Hinata and high fived each other._

 

_“Told you he’d be into it,” Tanaka said with a proud expression._

 

_“Our children! All grown up!” Nishinoya chimed in, jumping up to ruffle what he could of Tsukki’s hair._

 

_Kageyama’s half-smile grew the tiniest bit bigger at the sight of the blond’s annoyance._

 

_“But like I said earlier,” Ennoshita said with a light and amused tone. “It’s not really any of our concern.” And he’d promptly ended practice._

 

So naturally, when the time had come to choose captains, his classmates (which only consisted of Yamaguchi and Hinata so _come on_ ) had chosen to go along with their senpais’ opinions and chose Tsukki and Kageyama as their captains. Yachi cheered loud enough for a sensei to have to come and tell them it was getting too late for them to continue practicing.

 

His fist curls tightly around the bright white number two and the jersey bunches in his hand as he considers a response to Tsukki’s jab. He’s surprised to find that he doesn’t have one.

 

“You’re the captain now, Tsukki!” Comes Hinata’s voice from below Kageyama. “And nobody likes you. Doesn’t that make _you_ the King now?”

 

Even Yamaguchi has to hide a snicker behind his hand at that and Hinata has the good sense to look proud of himself. Kageyama looks down at him endearingly.

 

Or as endearingly as he can manage.

 

“Oi, oi, oi!”

 

Everyone looks up as Coach Ukai walks in the gym doors, all eyes trained on him.

 

“Are we going to start practice or is everyone just going to sit around and cuddle your new jerseys? Let’s get to work!”

 

Practice goes as usual except they’re the examples now, they’re the _leaders_. Even Hinata with his new number three jersey who Kageyama had to practically force him to take. The redhead couldn’t stand to let go of his number ten, even after the numbers had moved up after Sawamura, Sugawara, and Asahi-san had left. But to be a third year, and third most skilled on the team and have first and second years wearing numbers above him, Kageyama wouldn’t stand for it.

 

So naturally he told Hinata that he could take the number three like a true senpai should or Kageyama wouldn’t be sending anymore tosses his way.

 

Cruel, but effective. Even Tsukishima had to respect it.

 

After practice, Kageyama dries the sweat from his face and makes for the club room immediately to change and pack up. He gladly lets Tsukishima be the one responsible for the club room keys as he has no real desire to sit around and wait for the first years and new second years to clean up the gym. He has better things to do. Like--

 

“Hey! What, were you gonna leave me?!”

 

Hinata stands in the doorway of the club room with a minor pout that was rather… adorable. Kageyama was sure he was aiming for _angry_. He snorts to himself at the smaller boy’s fail.

 

“No, I wasn’t going to leave you. But if you want to stay all night and clean like a first year then I will.”

 

“You’re too good to clean now?”

 

“No, I’m just too old now.”

 

Hinata doubles over with laughter, snorting in between bouts and coughing out things that “ _that’s rich_ ” and “ _but I’m the older one_ ”. To all of which Kageyama rolls his eyes and pushes past him.

 

Hinata follows, of course.

He hiccups the last of his laughter as he walks alongside Kageyama with his hands on the handlebars of his bike in otherwise silence. After about ten minutes, he finally speaks.

“This is it, Kageyama. This is our last year, last chance to play on the orange court.”

“What are you talking about, dumbass? We’re going to be the best in the world. It doesn’t end here for us.”

“ _Yeah_ , but I mean this is our last time playing with Karasuno, playing with our _friends_ and with Coach Ukai,” he whines. “I’m just gonna miss it, is all.”

Kageyama grunts in response. He doesn’t think about that. They still have an entire year to crush their opponents into the ground. And Kageyama doesn’t want to think about the memories he’s (reluctantly) made until he absolutely has to. And that’s not tonight. He hears Hinata huff out a sigh and chances a glance at him.

His large brown eyes stare up at the moon, letting it illuminate them and the few tiny freckles on the arches of his cheekbones. Kageyama almost thinks he’s--

Falling.

Hinata’s falling, of course.

Kageyama grabs him by the hood of his jacket and stands him upright.

“Watch where you’re walking, dumbass! You’ll fall!”

Hinata dusts himself off, whining under his breath about the dirt on his school shirt. Something about his mother just having washed it last night. But then he looks up and those brown eyes are alight with something other than the moon and full of all kinds of promises.

“Whatever you say, _senpai_.”

And he skips ahead of Kageyama, singing about the pork curry his mother promised she’d make for dinner tonight. And Kageyama knows one of many, many things.

  
This year was going to be a long one.

**Author's Note:**

> i just happened to be staring at one of my gifsets ([this one](http://ukaikeishin.co.vu/post/112668882265/)) and it just popped into my head how kageyama and tsukki could totally be captain and vice captain (though i could also see yamaguchi being the more suitable candidate, obviously).
> 
> also, i made this a part of a series because i think i'm just going to write little fics where they're third years and kageyama and tsukki compete over everything. i'm excited. 
> 
> :DDD


End file.
